DanoneWave Puts a Stake in the Ground with Commitment to Regenerative
Agriculture and Soil Health Research Collaboration with Renowned
Research Partners

Brings together a ‘dream team’ of expertise in the study of soil
health, applicable to all agricultural systems in The Dannon Pledge
portfolio of brands

Begins with research that will spur transformation to support
best-in-class soil health programs with experts and academics to
benefit our farms and communities

Builds on the company’s commitment to sustainable agriculture as
articulated in The Dannon Pledge

Reinforces company commitment to sustainable agriculture, joining
The Carbon Underground to inform the design and development of a new
global certification standard for food grown in a regenerative way and
exploring options to participate in the Regenerative Organic Alliance

March 07, 2018 09:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, DanoneWave puts a stake in the ground, launching a
ground-breaking soil health initiative with renowned experts and
academics to build best-in-class soil health programs to benefit our
farms and communities. The company shared an ambition to commit up to
$6M for the research program over the next five years. This program will
begin with products involved in The Dannon Pledge, and may have impact
in the future across the DanoneWave portfolio. The Dannon Pledge is the
company’s commitment to a range of progressive practices focused on
sustainable agriculture, transparency and naturality, and enables the
company to offer consumers more yogurt choices. The flagship brands that
are leading with Non-GMO Project verification as part of The Dannon
Pledge include Dannon®, Oikos® and Danimals®.
Dannon is part of DanoneWave. To learn more about The Dannon Pledge,
visit ExpoWest Booth 513 or dannonpledge.com.

“Soil is the foundation of our food system, with an estimated 95 percent1
of food directly or indirectly reliant on soil.” said Ryan Sirolli,
Agriculture Director, DanoneWave. “As America’s largest yogurt maker, we
saw an opportunity to initiate this breakthrough research program with
our supply chain. When we announced our Pledge, we committed to
championing sustainable agriculture, which includes reaching for better
soil health. We will evaluate soil on the farms of growers who provide
feed for cows and on the dairy farms where we buy milk. The long-lasting
relationships we have with our growers and dairy farmers, who have a
passion for change and strive for continuous improvement, have empowered
us to launch this program. We know this work requires collaboration to
make a meaningful impact, and we are excited to bring together uniquely
skilled partners to help us to continue to fulfill our ambition.”

DanoneWave will be advancing its soil health research program over the
next 18 months. The aim of the soil health initiative is to identify
ways to help regenerate soils, looking at enhancing organic matter and
soil fertility with long-term benefits such as soil carbon
sequestration, reduced chemicals use, soil water holding capacity,
biodiversity and economic resilience of farmer communities. Key
activities with participating grower and dairy farmer partners and
third-party soil health experts will include soil sampling, review of
yield, grower engagement, data collection and analysis, first reports
and field days with farmers to provide training around soil health best
practices.

“A priority on my farm is stewardship of the land. When we steward the
soil well, we have better yields and we help mother nature. I am looking
forward to working with DanoneWave to continue to improve soil health,
and I am excited to look at the outcomes of this research program to
consider how it impacts my farm and our practices,” said Rick Clark, a
grower of Non-GMO Project Verified feed for the supply chain that
supports brands involved in The Dannon Pledge at Clark Land and Cattle
in Williamsport, Indiana.

The partners DanoneWave is announcing today are:

Dr. Rattan Lal and the Carbon Management and Sequestration Center
at The Ohio State University will lead soil sampling across a set
of grower and dairy farmer partners. The team will analyze the samples
and provide data for analysis. The team will then look at the data to
identify practices to help increase the carbon intake of soil.

Dr. Harold van Es and the soil health team at Cornell University
will partner on soil health analysis for the program. The team will
use results to make recommendations to be implemented over the next
five years with an aim to improve soil health with participating
grower and dairy farmer partners.

EcoPractices, working with EFC/Ag Solver as a service provider, will
gather information from program partners to analyze and share reports
that help to create an understanding of what the data means for many
stakeholders – importantly, our farmer partners.

In addition to announcing partners for the soil health initiative, today
DanoneWave is also proud to join The Carbon Underground, Green America
and other food companies to inform the design and development of a new
global certification standard for food grown in a regenerative way. The
soil health initiative and the company’s work to support The Carbon
Underground are two important next steps in DanoneWave’s overarching
regenerative ambition. To learn more about The Carbon Underground, read
the latest press release here.

“With all life beginning and ending in soil, there is urgency to promote
agricultural practices that can help regenerate soils. As a soil
scientist who has conducted research in this area for the last 50 years,
I am privileged to work with DanoneWave, a company that is setting an
example for the private sector with a commitment to become carbon
neutral,” said Dr. Rattan Lal, The Ohio State University. “The support
of the private sector will ensure we can make changes on a significant
scale. I hope that others will be inspired by this work and consider
options for becoming involved.”

“Working with the private sector to tackle the question of how to
improve soil health will help us make an impact at large scale,” said
Dr. Harold van Es, Cornell University. “I’ve spent my career exploring
opportunities to improve soil health, and I look forward to working with
DanoneWave and the soil health program research team to implement
changes based on what we learn through the research.”

Finally, the company is exploring options to participate in the
Regenerative Organic Alliance, a group working to develop a new
standard, which will be known as Regenerative Organic Certification. The
work with the Regenerative Organic Alliance would be complementary to
the company’s continued commitment to the USDA Organic Standard through
pioneering brands. DanoneWave seeks to understand how this proposed
certification can benefit our planet and farming communities through
soil health, animal welfare, social fairness, and offer more choices for
our consumers and our business.

About DanoneWave

Headquartered in White Plains, New York, and Broomfield, Colorado, the
mission of DanoneWave is to bring health through food to as many people
as possible via its diverse offering of dairy and plant-based foods in
high growth and evolving categories. The ambition of DanoneWave is to
produce healthful foods that create economic and social value and
nurture natural ecosystems through sustainable agriculture. Every time
we eat and drink, we vote for the world we want. And as the largest
public benefit corporation in the US, DanoneWave is taking bold steps
for social good in North America. DanoneWave is a subsidiary of Danone
and more information is available at www.DanoneWave.com.